Razorbill - Whatbird.com Razorbill Auks, Murres and Puffins (Alcidae) Code 4 Copyright © 2004 - 2017 Mitch Waite Group PHOTOS Photos we are missing. CONSERVATION STATUS The Razorbill has a large range, estimated globally at 1,000,000 to 10,000,000 square kilometers. Native to Europe and North America, this bird prefers neritic, oceanic, coastal, or tidal ecosystems. The global population of this bird is estimated at 1,500,000 individuals and does not show signs of decline that would necessitate inclusion on the IUCN Red List. For this reason, the current evaluation status of the Razorbill is Least Concern.

IBIRD EXPLORER GENERAL posted on May 13, 2013 07:47 AM PHOTO SHARING AND DISCUSSION posted on December 01, 2009 12:06 PM BIRD PHOTOGRAPHY posted on June 12, 2016 09:03 PM SUMMARY Overview Razorbill: Large seabird with black head, neck, upperparts, white line from bill to eye, and white underparts. Large, wedge-shaped bill is black with a central, thin white band. Black legs and feet. Feeds on fish, marine worms, squid and crustaceans. Swift low direct flight. Range and Habitat Razorbill: Breeds in coastal sites from Spitsbergen, through Scandinavia to Iceland, Britain, and northwest France. Spends winters as far south as Spain and Morocco; also found in Greenland and the east coast of North America south to Maine. Casual south to Florida in the winter. Frequents coastal and oceanic waters; breeds on coastal cliffs and rock stacks in the summer.

SONGS AND CALLS "urrr", "arrc-arrc" INTERESTING FACTS Razorbills, guillemots and puffins do not compete directly for food because guillemots catch large fish, which they carry singly; puffins catch small fish and razorbills catch medium-sized fish. Their chicks cannot fly when they leave the colony, so the breeding site must give immediate access to the sea. A group of razorbills are collectively known as an "edge" and a "strop" of razorbills. Razorbills are exclusively an Atlantic species, with no counterpart in the Pacific. SIMILAR BIRDS About this North America Map This map shows how this species is distributed across North America. FAMILY DESCRIPTION Auks, Murres, and Puffins (Alcidae) ORDER The CHARADRIIFORMES (pronounced kah-RAH-dree-ih-FOR-meez) is a taxonomic order of nineteen families including the gulls, sandpipers, plovers, and auks (more commonly known as “Alcids”).

FAMILY TAXONOMY The Alcidae (pronounced AL-sih-dee) family is composed of twenty-three species of Alcids in eleven genera, all occurring in the cold waters of the Northern Hemisphere. NORTH AMERICA Twenty-two species of Alcids in eleven genera have occurred in North America including the clown-like puffins, the murres, the murrelets, the diminutive Dovekie, and the flightless, extinct Great Auk. KNOWN FOR Members of the Alcidae are known for their penguin-like appearance despite being unrelated to the penguin family. Alcids are also known for their habit of nesting in dense colonies. To the people of Iceland and the Faroe Islands, the Atlantic Puffin and their eggs are also known as food. PHYSICAL Small to medium in size, Alcids are plump, short-tailed duck-like birds with webbed feet on short legs. Unlike the extinct Great Auk, other Alcids have thin, medium-length wings used for rapid, buzzing flight.

Bill shape varies among species from the short and stubby beak of the Dovekie to the thin, medium-length bills of murres and murrelets, and the narrow, arched bills of the puffins. COLORATION Most Alcid species are black on the upperparts and white on the underparts or all dark, exceptions being the guillemots (with white wing patches), and the mottled brown breeding plumages of the Marbled and Kittlitz’s Murrelets. Some species have bright colors such as orange, yellow, and red on head plumes and on their bills. GEOGRAPHIC HABITAT The Alcidae are maritime birds found off both coasts of North America. On the Atlantic coast, they breed in Maine and northeastern Canada, wintering south to New Jersey, while on the west coast, Alcid species are found from the islands of the Bering Sea to southern California. Although Alcids are birds of salt water habitats, species such as the Long-billed Murrelet and the Ancient Murrelet occasionally show up as rare vagrants on freshwater lakes, and the Marbled Murrelet nests away from the shore in old growth forests.

MIGRATION Razorbill - Overview | Young People's Trust For the Environment Razorbill Credits Overview Distribution: North Atlantic, breeding on coasts from western Greenland to New England (U.S.A.), Bear Island to Brittany. In winter, northern populations move south, some spreading into the Mediterranean as far as Italy. Present all year round in Britain. Habitat: mainly coastal & offshore waters, breeding on sea cliffs etc. Description: plumply built, penguin-like bird with black head & upperparts, white bar on hindwing, white underparts. Large, flattened black bill crossed with a line of white vertically across middle. Also white line from bill to near eye. Size: 40cm (16in) in length. Food: fish, crustaceans etc. Razorbills belong to the auk family, along with guillemots and puffins. They look rather similar to guillemots but their dark feathers are black rather than chocolate brown, they are plumper and have thicker, heavier-looking bills. On the water, a razorbill floats higher than a guillemot and its longer tail tilts upwards.

The razorbill is well-named because the edges of its hooked upper beak are very sharp indeed, enabling it to grasp fish well and to defend itself against predators. Birds of The World: GUILLEMOT, MURRE, PUFFIN, RAZORBILL BIRDS of THE WORLD GULLS and Allies of The World Gulls , terns , skimmers , skuas , puffins , and their allies belong to the order Charadriiformes. Charadriiformes is a diverse order and contains many other families. Most live near water and eat invertebrates or other small animals; however, some are pelagic (seabirds), some occupy deserts and a few are found in thick forest. AUKs Order Charadriiformes Family Alcidae Auks and their allies (auklets, guillemots, razorbills, puffins) are superficially similar to penguins due to their black-and-white colours, their upright posture and some of their habits. Nevertheless they are not closely related to penguins.

Their closest living relatives appear to be the skuas, Auks have to a large extent sacrificed flight, and also mobility on land, in exchange for swimming; their wings are a compromise between the best possible design for diving and the bare minimum needed for flying. The auks are restricted to cooler northern waters. Their ability to spread further south is restricted by their prey hunting method, pursuit diving. This becomes less efficient in warmer waters. The speed at which small fish can swim doubles as the temperature increases from 5ï¿½C to 15ï¿½C, with no corresponding increase in speed for the bird. Auks live on the open sea and only go ashore for breeding. They vary from 15-45 cm. The auklets occur in the North Pacific and Bering Sea. Auklet, Crested Aethia cristatella Found: North Pacific including western North America, northern Asia The Crested Auklet has dark gray body; black forehead crest; reddish-orange and yellow tipped bill; white eyes; white plume projecting back from the eye. Females are slightly smaller than males. Similar to: Parakeet Auklet .

Crested Auklet has tuft of feathers on top of head; Parakeet Auklet does not. Image by: 1) Alan D. Wilson - Zapadni Cliffs, St. Paul Island, Alaska 2) F Deines , USFWS Auklet, Least Aethia pusilla Found: North America (Alaska), Asia The breeding Least Auklet has dark gray upperparts; speckled undersides, white throat; white eyes; dark bill with reddish tip. Nonbreeding has white undersides with no speckles. Similar to: Little Auk . Little Auk has white underside; Least Auklet has speckled underside. Similar to: Whiskered Auklet . Whiskered Auklet has more impressive whiskers and also more prominent eye line. Least Auklet is the smallest Auklet species. Image by Alan D. Wilson - Zapadni Breakwater, St.

Paul Island, Alaska 1, 2, 3) Breeding Auklet, Parakeet Aethia psittacula Found: Found: west North America, east Asia The Parakeet Auklet has dark gray upperparts, white underparts; white plume projecting back from the eye; white eyes; speckled flacks, breast; short orange upturned bill. There is a small variation between breeding and winter plumage. Similar to: Crested Auklet . Crested Auklet has tuft of feathers on top of head; Parakeet Auklet does not. Image by: 1, 2) Alan D. Wilson - St. Paul Island, Alaska 3) Art Sowls , USFWS Auklet, Whiskered Aethia pygmaea Found: North America (Alaska) and Asia (Aleutian Islands and some islands off Siberia) The Whiskered Auklet is dark gray. It has white whiskers on the side of the face; whispy black tuft on forehead; orange bill. Winter adult is duller; has white belly. Similar to: Least Auklet .

Whiskered Auklet has more impressive whiskers. Least Auklet is the smallest Auklet species. Similar to: Rhinoceros Auklet . Breeding Whiskered auklet has black tuft on forehead; Rhinocerous Auklet does not, but it does have 'horn' on its bill. Image by: 1) L. Lauber , USFWS 2) USFWS Genus Alca - 1 species Razorbill Alca torda Found: North Atantic coasts, including those of North America The Razorbill has black upperparts; white underparts; thick black bill with blunt end and vertical white line. The breeding adult has white line from the eye to top of bill. The nonbreeding adult has white lower face and throat. Similar to: Common Murre , Thick-billed Murre . Bill of Razorbill is blunt at the end; bill of Common Murre and Thick-billed Murre is pointed. Image by: 1) Wildlifeshoots - Florida!

2, 3, 4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - Great Britain 1) Nonbreeding 2 - 6) Breeding Genus Alle - 1 species Auk, Little also Dovekie Alle Alle Found: Arctic region ( North America, Europe, Asia) The breding Little Auk has a black back, neck, back and wings; white underparts; short and stubby black bill. The nonbreeding adult has a lower face and fore neck. Similar to: Least Auklet . Little Auk has white underside; Least Auklet has speckled underside.

Image by: 1) Olafur Larsen 2) MPF 34) Blake Maybank - Nova Scotia 4) Michael Haferkamp 5) Alastair Rae 6) Amand Graham - Norway 7) Charlie Westerinen - eastern Greenland 1, 2, 3) nonbreeding 4, 5, 6, 7) breeding Genus Brachyramphus Murrelet, Kittliz's Brachyramphus brevirostris Found: west coast North America, Asia The breeding Kittliz's Murrelet is gray-brown; has light colored neck. The nonbreeding adult has black and white back; black cap which does not cover the eyes; white collar and throat; white underparts. Unlike most most seabirds, it is not colonial. It nests in isolated locations. Similar to: Marbled Murrelet . Bill of Kittliz's Murrelet is shorter than that of Marbled Murrelet. Nonbreeding Kittliz's Murrelet has more white on head than nonbreeding Marbled Murrelet.

Breeding KIttliz's Murrelent is lighter in color than breeding Marbled Murrelet. Image by: 1) Alyson McNight , USFWS - Alaska 2) Doed 1) Juvenile 2) Breeding Murrelet, Long-billed Brachyramphus perdix North America, Asia The breeding Long-billed Murrelet has mostly brown upperparts; white underparts. The nonbreeding adult has black and white back; black cap which extends below the eyes; black nape; white throat; white underparts. Similar to: Marbled Murrelet . Long-billed Murrelet has a longer bill than Marbled Murrelet. Nonbreeding Long-billed Murrelet has black nape. Image by: MPF - United Kingdom 1) Nonbreeding Murrelet, Marbled Brachyramphus marmoratus Found: west coast North America, Asia The breeding Marbled Murrelet has mostly brown upperparts; white underparts. The nonbreeding adult has black and white back; black cap which extends below the eyes; white collar and throat; white underparts. Similar to: Ancient Murrelet .

Ancient Murrelet is the only member of family Alcidae with a small yellow bill. Marbled Murrelet has a dark bill which is longer. Both the Marbled and Ancient Murrlet have an incomplete white neck collar. Similar to: Kittliz's Murrelet . Bill of Kittliz's Murrelet is shorter than that of Marbled Murrelet. Nonbreeding Kittliz's Murrelet has more white on head than nonbreeding Marbled Murrelet. Breeding KIttliz's Murrelent is lighter in color than breeding Marbled Murrelet. Similar to: Long-billed Murrelet . Long-billed Murrelet has a longer bill than Marbled Murrelet. Nonbreeding Long-billed Murrelet has black nape.

Image by: 1) Rich Macintosh , USFWS 2) Andrew Reding - state of Washington 3) Gus Van Vliet , USFWS 4) USFWS 1) Juvenile 2) Nonbreeding 3) Nonbreeding, eclipse 4) Breeding Genus Cepphus Guillemot, Black Cepphus grylle Found: North America (East coast, down to Massachusetts), NW coast of Europe The breeding Black Guillemot has black body with white wing patch; thin dark bill; red legs and feet. They show white wing patch in flight. The nonbreeding bird has pale gray upperparts; white underparts. The wings remain black with the large white wing patch. Similar to: Pigeon Guillemot . Range does not overlap.

Image by: 1) Ómar Runólfsson - Iceland 2) oskaree - iceland 3) nebirdsplus - Massachusetts 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Scotland 6) Christian Bickel 7) Charlie Westerinen - Iceland 8) Mark Medcalf - Scotland 9) Dick - McGee Island, Maine 1) 1st winter 2, 3) Nonbreeding 4, 5, 6) Breeding 7) Breeding with sand eel 9) With juvenile Common Loon Guillemot, Pigeon Cepphus columba Found: North America, Asia The Pigeon Guillemot has a black body; white wing patch broken by black wedge; a thin dark bill; red legs and feet. Nonbreeding adult has mottled gray and black upperparts; white underparts. Similar to: Black Guillemot . Range does not overlap.

Image by: 1) Maggie Smith - California 2, 6, 8) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center, Sewrd 3, 4) Dick - Kachemak Bay, Alaska 5) Alan Vernon 7) Schlawe of the USFWS 1) Juvenile 2 - 8) Breeding Guillemot, Spectacled also Sooty Guillemot Cepphus carbo Found: Asia The breeding Spectacled Guillemot is mostly sooty-black. It has white "spectacles"; black bill, black iris; red legs.The nonbreeding adult is similar but has scaly white underparts. Image by Eliezg - Yamsky Island in the Sea of Okhotsk, Russia Genus Cerorhinca - 1 species Auklet, Rhinoceros Cerorhinca monocerata Found: west North America, east Asia The breeding Rhinoceros Auklet has a large orange/brown bill with protruding 'horn'; dark upperparts; paler underparts white plumes above the eyes and behind the bill. Nonbreeding bird does not have the 'horn' or white plumes.

Similar to: Whiskered Auklet . Breeding Whiskered auklet has black tuft on forehead; Rhinocerous Auklet does not, but it does have 'horn' on its bill. Image by: 1) Dow Lambert , USFWS 2, 3, 4, 5) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward 1) Juvenile Genus Fratercula Puffin, Atlantic Fratercula arctica Found: North Atlantic regions of North America and Great Britain The Atlantic Puffin has black upperparts; white lowerparts; gray to white cheeks; red-orange legs. The bill is large and triangular and during the breeding season is bright orange with a patch of blue bordered by yellow at the rear. Similar to: Horned Puffin . The ranges of Atlantic Puffin and Horned Puffin do not overlap.

Image by: 1) Erik Christensen - Mykines, Faroe Islands 2) Matthias Meckel - Farne Islands, England 3) Steve Garvie 4, 5, 6) Dick Daniels - Scotland Puffin, Horned Fratercula corniculata Found: Northwest coasts of North America, northeast coast of Asia The Horned Puffin has black upperparts; white lowerparts; gray cheeks; orange legs. Breeding adult large bill is yellow at base, red at tip. Similar to: Atlantic Puffin . The ranges of Atlantic Puffin and Horned Puffin do not overlap. Similar to: Tufted Puffin . Tufted Puffin has yellowish-white tuffs on the head during the breeding season; Horned Puffin does not. Tufted Puffin has black underparts; Horned Puffin has white underparts. Image by: 1, 2, 3, 4) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward 5) Vernon Byrd , USFWS 6, 8) Alan D Wilson - St.

Paul Island, Alaska 7) Dick - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska 1, 2) Juvenile 3) Nonbreeding 4 - 8) Breeding Puffin, Tufted Fratercula cirrhata Found: Northwest coasts of North America, northeast coast of Asia The Tuffed Puffin has a black body; white facial patch; large yellowish-white tufts. It's thick bill is mostly red with some yellow and occasionally green markings. Similar to: Horned Puffin . Tufted Puffin has yellowish-white tuffs on the head during the breeding season; Horned Puffin does not. Tufted Puffin has black underparts; Horned Puffin has white underparts. Image by: 1, 3) Dick Daniels - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska 2) Dick - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward 4, 7) Alan D Wilson - St. Paul Island in Alaska 5) Mike Boylan , USFWS 6) Alan - St.

Paul Island Genus Ptychoramphus - 1 species Auklet, Cassin’s Ptychoramphus aleuticus Found: North Pacific including western North America, northern Asia Cassin's Auklet is generally dark above and pale below, with a small white mark above the eye. Its bill is overall dark with a pale spot, and its feet are blue. Unlike many other auks the Cassin's Auklet lacks dramatic breeding plumage, remaining the same over most of the year. Genus Synthliboramphus Murrelet, Ancient Synthliboramphus antiquus Found: North America, Asia The breeding Ancient Murrelet has black on the head with white streaks (thus the name 'ancient'). It also has black throat, rear neck; gray back; white underparts; short yellowish bill. Nonbreeding adult lacks the crown streaks and black throat. Similar to: Marbled Murrelet . Ancient Murrelet is the only member of family Alcidae with a small yellow bill. Marbled Murrelet has a dark bill which is longer. Both the Marbled and Ancient Murrlet have an incomplete white neck collar.

Image by: 1) USFWS 2) Andrew Reding 1) Breeding Image by: 1) Psuedolapiz 2) Hiyashi Haka Murrelet, Xantus's Synthliboramphus hypoleucus Found: west coast of North America Similar to Craveri's Murrelet . Craveri's and Xantus's Murrelet are both found off the Calfornia coast. Xantus's Murrelet has a white indentation (small in some some subspecies, large in others) in front of eye. Craveri's Murrelet black / white chin border is smoother. Genus Uria Murre, Common also Common Guillemot Uria aalge Found: north parts of North America, Europe, Asia, Africa The breeding Common Muure has brownish-black back, wings, head, throat; white underparts; gray lines on the flanks; thin dark pointed bill; small rounded dark tail; gray legs. Nonbreeding adult has black instead of brownish-black upperparts; white face with black curved eye-line; white thoat. Similar to: Razorbill .

Bill of Razorbill is blunt at the end; bill of Common Murre is pointed. Similar to: Thick-billed Murre . The Thick-billed Murre has a white gape stripe, the Common Murre never does. The Common Murre may be brindled, not so for the Thick-billed Murre. Image by: 1, 2, 5) Dick Daniels - Alaska Sea Life Center in Seward 3) Bill Bouton - California 4) Dick - Gull Island, Kachemak Bay, Alaska 6, 7, 8, 9) Dick - Scotland 1) Family 2) First year 3) Nonbreeding 6) Brindled variant Murre, Thick-billed also Brunnich's Guillemot Uria lomvia Found: North America, Europe, Asia, Africa The breeding Thick-billed Murre has black upperparts; white underparts; long pointed black bill with a white gape stripe; small rounded black tail. Nonbreeding adult has white lower face and throat. Similar to: Common Murre. The Thick-billed Murre has a white gape stripe, the Common Murre never does.

The Common Murre may be brindled, not so for the Thick-billed Murre. Similar to: Razorbill . Bill of Razorbill is blunt at the end; bill of Thick-billed Murre is pointed. Image by: 1) Jcwf 2) Alan D. Wilson - Zapadni Cliffs, St. Paul Island, Alaska 3) Michael Haferkamp - Barentsea, Svalbard 4) US Geoligical Survey 1) Nonbreeding Family Alcidae - Auks, auklets, guillemots, murrelets, murres, puffins and Razorbill Great Auk (extinct) in summer and winter plumage John Gould (1804-1881) Great auk eating a fish, by John Gould John Gould: The Birds of Europe, vol. 5 pl. 55 lithograph by Edward Lear with hand coloring.

30.2 x 44 cm (image); 38.3 x 55.5 cm (sheet) Achenbach Foundation for Graphic Arts Nicole Bouglouan PHOTOGRAPHIC RAMBLE Sources : HANDBOOK OF THE BIRDS OF THE WORLD Vol 3 by Josep del Hoyo-Andrew Elliott-Jordi Sargatal - Lynx Edicions - ISBN : 8487334202 THE HANDBOOK OF BIRD IDENTIFICATION FOR EUROPE AND THE WESTERN PALEARCTIC by Mark Beaman, Steve Madge - C.

Helm - ISBN: 0713639601 OISEAUX DE MER – Guide d’identification de Peter Harrison – Editions Broquet (Canada) – ISBN-10 : 2890004090 – ISBN-13 : 978-2890004092 FAMILY ALCIDAE Auks, auklets, guillemots, murrelets, murres, puffins and Razorbill The family Alcidae is a very old family with roots extending back 30-40 million years earlier of more. From geological studies, the northern Pacific Ocean was the centre of origin for most or all of the modern Alcids, but more fossils have been recorded in the Atlantic Ocean. However, the presence of Alcids in the Atlantic is much more recent than in Pacific where an evolutionary origin was followed by a spread to the North Atlantic through the Arctic Ocean. In the past, the Alcidae have been linked to some other families such as Spheniscidae , Gaviidae , Podicipedidae and Pelecanoididae.

They are today placed in the order Charadriiformes, but their relationships to groups of this order is still uncertain. Currently, the family Alcidae comprises 25 species (with one extinct), that separate into eight distinct groups. The first group is that of a single small species, the Little Auk or Dovekie (Alle alle). It is typically black above and white below with short bill. It is largely restricted to the Atlantic Ocean. Little Auk or Dovekie The second group contains three large species, the Common Murre (Uria aalge), the Thick-billed Murre (Uria lomvia) and the Razorbill (Alca torda). They are long-billed, with blackish upperparts and white underparts. The Razorbill is restricted to the Atlantic, whereas the murres can be found in both Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Least Auklet The seventh group is that of another single species, the medium-sized Rhinoceros Auklet (Cerorhinca monocerata). This one has greyish-black upperparts and grey-barred white underparts. The robust bill gives the species its name, and we can see some ornamental feathers on the head in breeding plumage.

It is found in the Pacific Ocean. Rhinoceros Auklet The eighth group comprises three medium-sized species, the Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula arctica), the Horned Puffin (Fratercula corniculata) and the Tufted Puffin (Fratercula cirrhata). All have black upperparts and white cheeks. The underparts are white, except in Tufted Puffin which has black underparts. They have large, laterally compressed triangular bills, always brightly coloured during the breeding season. The first species occurs mainly in the Atlantic Ocean, whereas the two others can be found in the Pacific Ocean. Tufted Puffin And finally, the extinct Great Auk (Pinguinus impennis) was black above and white below, with conspicuous white area in front of the eye in breeding plumage. This species was flightless. It was living in boreal latitudes through the North Atlantic. Its closest living relative is the Razorbill , and the Great Auk is sometimes included within the genus Alca.

John Gerrard Keulemans (1842-1912) Great Auk (extinct) in summer (left) and winter plumage (right) Actually, the Alcids could be the penguins of the Northern Hemisphere, even being completely unrelated. Unlike the Spheniscidae , all the living Alcids are able to perform a fast whirring flight. They are good divers and swimmers and pursue their prey underwater, propelled by their short, powerful wings, the short legs and the webbed feet. However, the legs are placed far back on body, and they are usually clumsy on land while walking with an upright posture. The auks use land only for breeding, and most species breed along the coasts, on headlands and offshore islands. They spend most of the year at sea, in the colder waters of the Northern Hemisphere. They have a circumpolar distribution and can be seen from E Canada through the North Atlantic and eastern shores of the Arctic Ocean, to the Bering Sea and North Pacific. They winter southwards, but several species remain within or close to their breeding range during winter, and move only according to the food resources. They live continuously at sea where they feed and rest.

They often winter in continental shelf waters. Atlantic Puffin These birds are able to fly in both air and water. They can dive at great depths to pursue a prey, propelled by their short, narrow wings and the webbed feet. However, these morphological features do not help the birds in flight. The take-off is difficult but the flight is fast and direct, with rapid wingbeats. On land, they usually have an upright posture and may appear clumsy. Thick-billed Murre The auks feed on numerous aquatic prey, from plankton (copepods, euphausiids and amphipods) to fish (larval fish and adults), and forage from near-shore to offshore in deep waters. They can dive at variable depth, with species feeding in the middle upper waters to the sea floor. They are able to dive at great depths, as deep as 100 metres like Uria murres, 40 metres for Cepphus guillemots, and 30 metres for the auklets. They find all their food in the oceans, by diving from the surface and swimming underwater, propelled by their wings while pursuing a prey.

The prey is often swallowed while swimming, and sometimes at the sea bottom like the Cepphus guillemots. All the Alcids are solitary feeders, although some groups can be seen at the surface, especially in association with areas of upwellings that drive the prey close to the surface. Black Guillemot Some Alcids such as the Little Auk or Dovekie and the Least Auklet carry the food to the chicks in their distensible gular pouch, whereas the Common Murre and the Thick-billed Murre carry a single fish in the bill. But Razorbill and puffins are more spectacular while carrying several small fish crosswise in the bill, such as capelin, sandeels, herring or sprat, depending on the region. The Cepphus guillemots take mainly small, benthic fish including sandeels, sculpins, rockfish, but also Zoarcidae, Pholidae and Stichaeidae. Usually, one fish at time is held crosswise in the bill. The Great Auk mainly fed on benthic fish prey caught in deep waters by diving.

John Gould (1804-1881) Great Auk eating a fish The breeding season drives the auks to land for nesting. They usually prefer offshore rocky islands or headlands, in order to avoid predation. The breeding habitat of Cepphus guillemots requires rocky crevices or fissures in cliffs and boulder fields, but they also use abandoned burrows of other species and even artificial cavities in old structures. The largest species such as the Razorbill , the Common Murre and the Thick-billed Murre , use mostly rocky cliff ledges, sometimes crevices or caves, or partially cover hollow. Common Murre Puffins and the Rhinoceros Auklet nest is self-excavated burrows in the ground of maritime slopes. Among the puffins, both Atlantic Puffin and Tufted Puffin favour grassy maritime slopes, whereas the Horned Puffin nests in rock crevices on sea cliffs or slopes. The Rhinoceros Auklet also uses the bare forest floor of densely forested islands.

Tufted Puffin The small murrelets Synthliboramphus nest in cavities and hollows around tree roots or logs, and also in rock crevices, whereas Ancient Murrelet and Japanese Murrelet excavate holes in soft ground. The Little Auk or Dovekie and most of the small auklets often nest in sea-facing scree slopes and boulder fields, rock rubble along the coastal beaches, and steep cliffs (Dovekie). Little Auk or Dovekie Alcids are more vocal at night at the colonies, and generally mostly silent outside the breeding season. The vocal displays are often associated with the breeding behaviour or some threat displays during encounters with predators or neighbours. They are also used by adults to communicate with their chicks. Cepphus guillemots and Aethia auklets give soft whistles, whereas murres and puffins produce loud, raucous growls and groans. The vocalizations of Alcids can be classified in three categories. In warning or distress, they utter sharp, single notes. During pair formation and to communicate, both mates give trilling calls.

And finally, the aggressive encounters are accompanied by various sounds including hoarse calls such as clucks, snarls, growls, and series of quivering and gurgling noises. Males are usually more vocal than females, as they have to advertise and defend the breeding site. During the breeding season, calls are usually given at night both in flight above the colony and from the ground. Vocal communication between adults and young is used mainly in dense colonies, when parents search for their chick, while the chick utters wailing distress cries. The distinctive calls can be identified at distance and allow to reunite separated family members. This type of communication is fairly common in high density colonies. Common Murre The nesting habitat of Alcids varies, but most species breed in colonies established on rocky islands and sea cliffs along the coasts. Some species such as the Cepphus guillemots, form very dense colonies, like the Little Auk or Dovekie . However, the Spectacled Guillemot nests in small groups and sometimes as solitary pairs.

Both Kittlitz’s Murrelet and Marbled Murrelet are non-colonial nesters, and their nest-sites are considerable distances inland, up to 75 kilometres from the seacoast. The Kittlitz’s Murrelet nests on rocky mountain slopes, while the Marbled Murrelet nests high on branches in the upper canopy in coniferous forests. The Long-billed Murrelet builds a nest in tree on a pile of mossy branches, but only 5-7 metres above the ground. The other species form small, scattered or large, single or mixed-species colonies almost always facing the sea or in close proximity. Long-billed Murrelet Most of them return to their breeding grounds several weeks or months before the egg-laying, during which they strengthen the pair-bonds, occupy the breeding site, mate and prepare the site for the egg. They usually show high fidelity to colonies and breeding sites, and often return to the same colony in several following years. They are usually monogamous with long-term pair-bonds. However, in high-density colonies, some extra-pair copulations are reported, especially in Common Murre and puffins.

To prevent this behaviour, the male stays close to the female during its fertile period, and fights may occur between males. The courtship displays are known for some species. The Atlantic Puffin performs the displays near the burrow entrance, and these displays enhance the bill pattern with head-flicking, sky-pointing and billing between mates. Elaborate courtship displays can be performed by some small auklets prior to copulation with the male running around the female in a low-hunched posture while uttering a chattering sound. The Little Auk or Dovekie performs head-wagging and billing. Within colonies, this period is that of intense territorial defence and mating activity. Razorbill The egg-laying is closely related to food abundance, especially in cold water system, and may vary according to the range. Chick-rearing needs food availability, involving faster and healthier growing and earlier fledging. The auks lay large eggs for their size. The shape is usually pyriform or ovoid with variable colours and markings. The auks that nest in trees or on the ground have cryptic-coloured eggs. The usual clutch is often one egg, except in Cepphus and Synthliboramphus that lay two eggs.

The incubation varies depending on the species, with 41-46 days in puffins, 32-39 days in auklets, 32-36 in large auks, 31-34 days in Synthliboramphus and 27-29 days in Alle, Cepphus and Brachyramphus species. Both adults share the incubation in stints of some hours to several days. Common Murre The chicks are usually semi-precocial and have thick down, but they are brooded during several days (2-10) by the adults. In this group, we can find the Little Auk or Dovekie , Cepphus guillemots, auklets, Brachyramphus murrelets and puffins. The chicks are fed by both parents inside the burrow or generally at the nest-site during 27 to 55 days according to the species. They become independent when they fledge. But in the other group, the chicks are precocial. This group includes the Synthliboramphus murrelets that are small, nocturnal species.

They lay two eggs and the chicks are well developed at hatching, covered with thick down, and with large legs and feet. They remain 1-2 days in the nest but they are not fed. After two days, the adults take them and the family group goes to the sea. The young are guarded and fed by their parents until they are fully grown. Ancient Murrelet In the third group, murres and Razorbill are diurnal species and nest on exposed rocky sites where the chicks hatch and are fed during 15-23 days. The flightless, partially grown chicks leave the nesting sites with the male parent which cares them for 4-8 weeks. Razorbill The chicks spend considerable time exercising their wings by flapping them vigorously, inside the nest or outside near the entrance. When the young are ready to depart, most of them climb to higher points to help them to fly off into the air, or make short flights down the slopes to the cliff edge from which they take flight.

They perform a spectacular “parachute” flight while descending from high cliffs of 200-300 metres high, followed by the parents that call continuously to maintain contact with their young, before to leave quickly the colony in family group. Atlantic Puffin juvenile exercising its wings at burrow entrance Atlantic Puffin juvenile at sea The predation is high during this exodus that usually occurs in the evening, and the unattended chicks on the water or on the beach are vulnerable to gulls or foxes. Injured or dead chicks are taken by predators on the ground. Numerous chicks are injured when they hit the rocks, or die from the impact, but good numbers survive. At this period, the vocal communication between adults and young is all important but critical when thousands or more bird are involved. The Alcids are threatened by introduced mammalian predators on their breeding islands, and by natural predators. Population declines are due to the negative influences of humans through direct exploitation, disturbance and destruction of the habitat, hunting, commercial fisheries and kills in fishing nets, oil pollution and chemical poisoning. Climate change may involve reduction of prey and decrease of populations. Deforestation and logging destroy the nesting habitat of some tree-nesting species.

These threats have resulted in the reduction of population and range of some species. This Pigeon Guillemot is unable to fly but it can swim. Here, it is attacked by a gull, but it will fight in spite of its injuries. Pigeon Guillemot Several species are evaluated as Least Concern, but they suffer from the usual previous threats. However, they often have large populations and currently, they are not globally threatened. The Long-billed Murrelet , the Kittlitz’s Murrelet , the Razorbill and the Cassin’s Auklet are classified as Near Threatened, due to deforestation for the species nesting in trees, climate change that involves reduction of prey availability, and disturbance, pollution and predation. The Craveri’s Murrelet , the Scripps’s Murrelet , the Japanese Murrelet and the Atlantic Puffin are listed as Vulnerable for the same reasons, and some of them have small populations. The Guadalupe Murrelet and the Marbled Murrelet are listed as Endangered. The major threat comes from the introduced predators on the breeding islands. But logging involves the loss of the nesting habitat.

In the past, Alcids have been hunted by humans for food, feathers and oil. This is the main cause of the extinction of the Great Auk . Today, Alcids are still threatened by humans but in different ways. The global protection of these birds is mainly at ecosystem level, with the protection of both breeding sites and nearby waters, but also public education and suitable legislation. Razorbill | Audubon Field Guide Auks, Murres, Puffins Habitat Open ocean; nests on sea cliffs. Tends to forage in cool waters less than 200' deep, so often concentrates over offshore shoals or ledges; sometimes closer to shore than other large auks. Nests on islands or mainland on cliffs or rocky shorelines. This stocky, thick-billed auk is found only in the North Atlantic. It nests on northern islands and coasts, often in the same colonies as murres; similar to the murres, it has a longer tail, often cocked up above the water when swimming. In winter it lives in flocks well offshore. Hardy observers who go out to the coast during winter storms may see flocks of Razorbills sweeping past, low over the water.

This species is probably the closest living relative of the extinct Great Auk. Photo Gallery Feeding Behavior Forages while swimming underwater. Catches most food 5-20' below surface, rarely may dive to 30'. May catch several fish during one dive. Sometimes steals fish from puffins or other auks. Eggs 1, perhaps rarely 2. Tan or greenish to white, variably marked with brown. Incubation is by both sexes, 32-39 days. Young: Both parents bring fish in bills to feed nestling. Young leaves nest 14-25 days after hatching, before able to fly. Late in evening, young follows adult to cliff edge and then flutters down to water, and adult and young swim away. Young Both parents bring fish in bills to feed nestling. Young leaves nest 14-25 days after hatching, before able to fly. Late in evening, young follows adult to cliff edge and then flutters down to water, and adult and young swim away. Diet Mostly fish. Feeds mainly on small fish, especially sand lance, also herring, sprat, capelin, stickleback, cod.

Also eats crustaceans and marine worms. Nesting Usually first breeds at age of 4-5 years. Nests in colonies. May mate for life. Pair formation may take place within flocks on water or on common ground near colony. In display, male raises head, pointing bill up while giving growling call, then bows deeply; female sometimes does same. Members of pair also touch bills, preen each other's feathers. Nest site is in crevice in cliff, under boulders, on ledge, or in abandoned burrow of other species. Sometimes no nest built, usually small collection of pebbles, grass. Lives of North American Birds Migration Winters well offshore, mainly from Grand Banks of Newfoundland to southern New England, in small numbers south to Virginia. Very rare south to Florida. Winter distribution varies, depending on food supply and weather. European birds may winter farther south, reaching northwest Africa. Share this bird Download Our Bird Guide App Migration Winters well offshore, mainly from Grand Banks of Newfoundland to southern New England, in small numbers south to Virginia. Very rare south to Florida. Winter distribution varies, depending on food supply and weather. European birds may winter farther south, reaching northwest Africa.

All Seasons - Common Pembrokeshire Coast National Park - Guillemots and Razorbills Guillemots and Razorbills Home » Learning About » Science for Schools » Seasonal Wildlife » Seabirds » Guillemots and Razorbills Guillemots and Razorbills Among the many seabird visitors to Pembrokeshire who come to these shores to breed are two members of the auk family, the guillemot and razorbill. While they can be seen breeding on the offshore islands such as Skomer or Ramsey, it is also possible to get close views of these birds from the mainland. Looking rather like penguins, razorbills and guillemots stand upright on cliff ledges. The guillemot is a chocolate brown bird, with a white tummy and a sharp dagger like beak. In contrast, the razorbill is a black bird, again with a white tummy. The razorbill has a white stripe across its beak and eyes, looking almost like a comedy thief’s mask. The beak is stubbier. Both birds nest on cliffs.

The guillemots prefer to pack together, standing shoulder to shoulder on narrow ledges, while razorbills prefer clefts in the rock, or flatter wider outcrops. Breeding on a narrow edge could be considered a risky business but the egg of the guillemot has evolved to be pointed, so that it will roll in a circle from the point, but not off the cliff edge. Both razorbills and guillemots, like many seabirds, raise a single chick, breeding from May to early July. They are among the first birds to fledge from the cliffs, and are gone before the puffins leave their cliff top burrows. Razorbills and guillemots can be seen from the mainland along the Castlemartin coast across to Stackpole. One of the best views is at Stack Rocks, close to the Green Bridge of Wales. This is one of the largest guillemot breeding sites in South Wales. Along the coast at Flimston razorbills and guillemots breed in the sea caves, along with the kittiwake, a small member of the gull family.

Share the experience The RSPB: Guillemot Guillemot Conservation status: Amber The UK's coasts have many stretches of sheer cliffs where seabirds breed and the guillemot is one of the most numerous birds in the great 'seabird cities'. It comes to land only to nest, spending the rest of its life at sea, where it is vulnerable to oil spills. Dark brown and white, not as black as the similar razorbill, it has a 'bridled' form with a white ring round the eye and stripe behind it. Illustrations Auks (Alcidae) Where to see them Found on small areas of cliffs on the south coast of England, very locally on the coasts and islands of Wales and in a handful of places in the north of England and Northern Ireland; more widely spread on cliffs of Scotland. RSPB nature reserves such as Bempton Cliffs in Yorkshire, Fowlsheugh in Grampian and Marwick Head in Orkney have large colonies. In winter it is widespread around UK coasts but usually well offshore. It is sometimes seen inshore after gales or passing by longer headlands.

When to see them Guillemots are best seen at the nesting colonies, from March to the end of July. What they eat

Question: To which family of birds do the Razorbill and the Guillemot belong?
Answer: Auks